1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cup having a handle and a utensil holder secured with shrink wrap.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cups have been used in most cultures throughout history. The history of cups is too voluminous to dictate here. Yet, it is sufficient to state that there is still room for improvement and innovation within the modern cup industry. In particular, there is room for improvement and innovation in the disposable cup industry.
There are many cups made of Styrofoam brand foam material and the like. This material is useful for its intended insulative purpose. Yet, the cups of foam materials do not typically have handles or the like. This lack of a handle can pose problems for transporting the cup.
Other disposable cups can be made of treated paper products, such as waxed paper. Again, while these products may work well for their intended purposes, there are some limitations associated with their use. There are typically no handles with paper cup products. Further, the paper products are relatively easily damaged or crushed. While being easily crushed may be a desirable quality upon disposal, it is not desirable when transporting a hot beverage. A further problem is that the paper products generally lack thermal insulation. For this reason, paper cup type products, when used alone, are not typically useful with hot beverages.
Sleeves have been developed for use with paper and other types of cup products. The sleeve has a nominal thickness, and can provide thermal insulation. The sleeve typically slides up from the bottom of the cup until the external perimeter of the cup is equal to the interior perimeter of the sleeve, at which point the sleeve and cup engage each other. While the sleeves work well, there use can be less than optimal. For example, the sleeves typically rely of friction between the sleeve and cup to maintain engagement with the cup.
A further problem with existing disposable cups is that they typically do not accommodate a utensil. This is disadvantageous in a retail or commercial setting, as the customer or user may need to stir the beverage or otherwise use a utensil with the product within the cup.
A still further drawback yet is that advertising or labeling is typically printed on the exterior surface of the cup. Such exterior labeling often looks great initially. Yet, the exterior can be scratched or otherwise damaged during shipment and storage. Further, during use, the beverage can contact the printing and cause the printing to rub or run off or otherwise delaminate from the exterior of the cup.
A still further drawback yet with existing products is that the existing products do not accommodate use of a secondary package (such as an aseptic container with milk) mated with the cover to make a fully disposable meal such as cereal with milk.
Thus there exists a need for a shrink wrap cup that solves these and other problems.